Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-09-09

scr,lptl0n OF this creature OF the cen
trail creator.
THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE DE-
PEATED.
I he result OF this may be-nay,
has been-that a minority, under
the lead of the local chairman,
SD aaks the voice of the party, and
so the will of the State Executive
G ommittee is enforced while that
Of I the people is defeated. And yet
they wonder that Republicanism
h as not beeen continuously victorl.
O us in Virginia since 1888. They
wonder why freemen refuse to be
treated not as soldiers alone, but
as conscripts. They wonder why
mon who are refused a voice IN the
decision of plans and the choice of
leaders, should, when the day OF
battle comes, either bravely pro-
test or else, for fear Of helping De-
mocrscy, sulk like Achilles in his
tent.
The men who in 1870, in resist
ance to the intolerance of the Con.
| sentative party, took issue with
their kiusmen, their army comrades,
their lifelong political associates
and in Difference of their right to
freedom of political opinion incur.
red obloquy aud denunciatlon, did
not DO so to surrender tamely to
the despotism of central power
within the party which they subse-
quently reinforced. 1t is too large
a price to pay even for the privilege
of opposing Virginia Democracy to
submit all individual option and in.
telligence and all the popular right
of self government to the whim,
caprice, and vanity of one person,
two persons, or three persons who
may arrogate to themselves the
arbitration and direction of Repub.
licanlsm in Virginia.
| THE MOZART HALL CONVENTION.
1t may here be said that the
State Committee had no power to
alter the organization adopted by
a convention. l say no convention
ever knowingly adopted such a
plan OF organization. Aud say
| that while no committee has a
right, to usurp popular powers and
popular rights, that every COM
mittee has the right to sever such
chains and set the people free. This
was not done, and so perished the
last hope of a:unanimous outpour-
ing of the Republican people at the
polls. There would have been no
one to resent such action except
the few who had selfish purposes
to sobserve. If the committee had
reaffirmed the Republican platform
of 1885, and then flung the flag to
the wind, invoking the spirit Of
1879 and inviting the Republican
masses everywhere through the
Commonwealth to gather in their
respective baillwicks at their own
time and in their own way to send
delegates to such a convention as
was held at Mozart Hall in 1879,
then, according to their own will,
to organize the party, prepare its
platform, and choose its leaders
then we should have had solid
column against Democracy and a
spirit throughout the column which
in victory or defeat would have
been that of harmony and enthusi.
asm. AS it is, il the old methods
are to be pursued; if loyalty to an
individual is to be made the test OF
Republicanism; If the machinery
of the party is to override its mem
bership and the people are to have
no part, except to register the
edicts of the Executive Committee,
the fate which overlook US in 1888,
1884 and 1885 land would have
overwhelmed us in 1886 but that
the people took the matter in their
own hands, will he the inevitable
md,
-"IpLICAN WATERLOO.
no not know what can now be
SHes'eoiSI INT IN a-iv oVmr, must
re 4 those who thus bring the
Us Q TO a point so narrow that
D ae seems room for but one man
a.'d his personal adherents to
stand on. read this address, with
its platitudes about matters of
which one half of the people know
nothing and the other half care
nothing, and compare it with the
ringing call sent forth from Rich
mond and signed by patriotic men
from every corner of the State in
1879. I look for those men-where |
are they ? Jostled from the path of
service by a persistent refusal to
consult their rights or the will of |
their constituents.
The path of Republication in
this State from 1879 until now is
strewn with the corpses, not of its
opponents, but of those who we're |
its earliest pioneers and most !
doughty champions. The brilliant |
staff and the devoted army have
been forced, by one misguided |
purpose, to lay their bones in the
Egypt, Spain, and Russian of rash
political enterprises. The Moreaus
have been sacrihced-they we're too
near the throne. The Louchets
and McDonalds have been sent |
into exile. The Murats and st.
Cyrs have been driven into oppo.
sition-they we're too much talked
of; and the army itself, what is left
of it, has become mere instrument
to be hurled hither and thither,
regardless of loss, regardless of all
higher aims than the will and the
objects of those controlling forces
which will not be satisfied until
they have reached their Waterloo.
FALSE ISSUE RAISED.
eat this juncture of affairs, it
seems to me, no Republican should
justify his own supineness by that
of others or submit to wrongs be-
cause the task of righting it seems
difficult. There is room yet to re.
deem everything if an appeal be
made to the people. A false issue
has been raised, and We have been
carried by excess Of authority to